Golf-putter.



W. L. SMITH.

GOL'F PUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18 1912.

1,046,343. Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

-mira, county of Chemung,

' of the putt when the stroke is the putt to drive the ball to WALTER Ii. SMITH, 0F ELMIRA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 THEODORE C. ROSE, OF

. ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

GOLF-BUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 18, 1912. Serial K0. 684,539.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER L. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at El- State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Golf-Putters, of which the following is a specification.

As is well known to golf players the final stroke upon the putting green by which the ball is sought to be put into the cup requires great accuracy. Not only must the blade of the putter be at right angles to the line I made, but the the putter must be in the line of the cup. In using the ordinary putter the blade of the putter must first be squared to the line of the putt, that is placed at right angles thereto. After that is done the putter must be swung in the line of the'putt. This is sought to be accomplished by different players in diflerent ways. Some players with the mental picture of the line of the putt and with the. eye solely on the ball swing the club in a line at right angles to the position of the putter blade. Others seek a spot in the ground or a blade of grass upon the line of the putt a short'distance ahead of the ball and with the eye partly thereuponseek to drive the ball over that spot, which if accurately done with proper force willplace the ball in the cup. A

My invention consists in providing a putter with the ordinary putter blade, and with a flange rearwardly extending from the swing of 'lower part thereof, the back line; of which.

flange shall be parallel to the base line of the face of the putter. From this back line of the flange on the upper side thereof are run a number of perpendicular lines of sufli cient length to give positive indication of direction. These lines are also of course perpendicular to a plane through the base line. of the face of the putter. The top surface of this flange is a plane at substantially right angles with the plane of the faceof the putter, wherever the face of the putter is a vertical plane. If the face of a putter be not a vertical plane the top surface of the flangemay be in a plane parallel with the surface of the ground when theputter is soled. The putter blade has a narrow top surface unmarked, preferably not over a quarter of an inch in width extending from heel to toe, and is desirably far enough above line of the face,

the top of the flange so that the eye can place the putter at right angles with line of the puttbymeans of the lines of the top surface of the putter, not confused'by the marks upon the -flange. If the face he vertical a vertical plane side. of the top surface will be identithe through the face cal with a vertical plane through the base line of the face. If the face be not a vertical plane then a vertical through the top surface should be parallel with a vertical plane through the base so that when the top surface of the putter is squared to the line of the putt the face of the putter will also be at right angles thereto.

My invention comprises means to enable the player, after the putter has been squared to the line of the putt, more easily and correctly to drive the ball along the line of the putt into the cup. In placing the putter for a stroke the blade is laid across the line either in the rear of or in preferably the latter, and is squared to the line of the putt by means of the narrow top surface of the putter with its well defined lines. Of necessity the perpendicular lines upon the flange are then parallel to the line of the putt, one of them being practically identical therewith. By means then of these perpendicular lines, which give the player a general sense of direction or of the particular line which is identical with the line of the putt and which extended forward indicates the exact spot or line over which the ball must be driven, the player is enabled the more accurately to drive the ball along the line of the puttinto the hole;

The invention will be described in con-' plane have a substantially vertical plane face 2 when the putter is in striking position. In the preferred form of my invention the putter head is provided with a flange 3 extendent is,

' with the face of the surfaceof this flange are a series of parallel ing rearwardly from the lower edge of the blade with the back line thereof parallel putter and on the upper marks or lines 4 -drawn at right angles to. the face 2. These marks may be grooves in the upper in Fig. 1, or they may be of any other suit.- able character adapted to be clearly seen by the player when holding the putter in position for playing. The method of using the putter is illustrated in Fig. 4, in WlllCh figure, 5 indicates the hole on the green into which it is desired todrive the ball, 6 indicates the ball, 7 in dicates the line connecting the center of the ball with the center of the hole. In usingv the putter I prefer to place it across the line -7 near the ball 6 and between the ball and' the hole, as indicated in Fig. 4. The line between the hole and the ball can be quite accurately determined by the eye and the club squared up so that its guide linesshall be parallel with this ima inary line on the ground. Having square the face of the putterhead with the line it is necessary to carefully swing the club or utter along the line of the putt and to stri e the ball with the requisite force.

It will be evident that slight changes in the details of construction of the putter head may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Thus the v mes may be differently grouped. The use of a plurality of lines are a much greater aid to the eye than a single line and, furthermore, one of the lines will be found ad- .jacent to or on'the imaginary line connecting the ball with the hole in any position in which the putter may be placed across the line on the ground, either in front of or in rear of the ball. In other words, it is not so necessary to place a certain part of the putter on the line as would be the case if a single line were used.

Having described my invention'what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Pat 1. A golf putter having the usual blade 1' and plane-drlving face 2 and having a rearwardly extending flange, provided on its up per surface with a plurality of lines arranged at right angles to the face.

2. A golf putter having the usual blade 1 and the plane driving face 2 and having a flange extendin rearwardly from the lower part of the .bla e, said flange being provided surface of the flange, as shown and having on its upper surface with a plurality of lines arranged atright angles to the face of the putter.

3. A golf putter having the usual blade 1 and driving face 2 and having a flange extending rearwardly, the back line of said flange being parallel with the base line of the face of the putter, and said flange being provided on its upper surface with a plurality of lines perpendicular to said back line of the flange.

4. A golf putter having the usual blade, '1

and driving face 2 and a flange extending rearwardly from the lower part of the blade, said flange having its back line parallel with the base line of the face of the putter, and

having upon its upper surface a'plurality v of lines perpendicular to said back line of the flange.

5. A golf putter having the usual blade 1 and driving face 2 and having a flange extending rearwardly, said flange being upon a plane parallel with the surface of the ground when the putter is soled, the upper surface of said flange having thereon a plurality of lines perpendicular to the back line thereof, said back line being parallel with the base line of the face of the putter.

6. A golf putter having the usual blade 1 and driving. face 2 and having a flange extending rearwardly from the lower part thereof, the upper face of said flange being upon a plane parallel with the surface of the ground when the putter is soled, and having a plurality of lines perpendicular to the back line of said flange, which said back line is parallel with the base line of the face of the putter.

7. A golf putter havin a driving face a plane sur ace substantially parallel with the surface of the ground when the putter is soled, said plane surface being provided with a plurality of parallel lines at right angles to a longitudinal line in theplane of said face.

8. A golf putter having a driving face with the rear line of the putter head parallel with the driving face and with multiple lines drawn perpendicular to said rear line upon a plane parallel with the surface of the ground when the putter is soled.

In testimonfy whereof I aflix my signature in presence 0 two witnesses.

WALTER L. SMITH. Witnesses:

JENNIEL. Evans,

FANNIE E. MCHENRY. 

